No Limit Holdem Poker Extensive Cash Ring Game Guide, Limit/NL

Part 1 - NL Holdem Poker Extensive Cash Ring Game Guide

These strategies and concepts relate to full-ring
games (6-10 players).

No Limit the the form of Texas Hold'em played most in tournaments.
If has also become much more popular in cash games during
recent years because of the visibility of tournament play.
Also, online poker rooms are well suited to hosting these
games. The players bust their stacks more frequently and
need to be replaced so the total rake becomes lower. For
a casino, this is a major problem, but online poker rooms
don't mind getting new players to the table; it is a fast,
smooth process for them.

This game is not for beginngers because it requires tight/aggressive
play to win. It also involves advanced reading skills in
order to play the players rather than play the cards. If
you want to try your hand at No Limit Texas Hold'em as a
novice, you shold begin with very low buy-in No Limit tournaments.
You'll risk only a small amount each session and will learn
to play the required tight/aggressive style.

Several styles can win the pots in No Limit Hold'em. In
a good game, a great player could win over the long haul
by playing every hand, but that same player might earn just
as much if playing only about 15% of the hands.

Differences between Limit and No-Limit Texas Hold'em

The
major differences between No Limit and Limit Texas Hold'em
involve position and hand values. Position is much more
important in No Limit because decision will have a larger
impact on your chip stack. If you trap a player in No Limit
through position, you can easily win the whole stack rather
than a few bets, as in Limit.

Large connectors such as AK, AQ, KQ go down in value when
you play No Limit because you are more likely to win small
pots and lose big pots with them. Pairs increase in value
because you are able to double through your opposition when
you hit the set. The big pairs, AA and KK, increase in value
because you are presented with the chance to trap someone
and take their entire stack.

In No Limit, you should keep track of the amount of money
you and your opposition have at the table. The stack size
impacts how the game is player. Here are examples:

1. You have $500 and your opponent has $25, the blinds are
$2-$4. You are in the big blind with a JTs and your opponent
moves all-in from first position (under the gun). All other
players fold. This is clearly a situation where you should
fold because you are probably the underdog and risking an
additional $21 to win his last $25 is not profitable. If
your opponent also has $500, then a call might be acceptable
since you have a chance of winning $500 by risking another
$21. It also depends on how well your opponent plays after
the flop.

2. You have $1000 and your opponent also has $1000,
the blinds are $2-$4. You have QQ and bet $20. Your opponent,
acting after you, moves all-in with his entire $1000. Fold
unless you know your opponent does not have AA or KK. If
the other player did the same, but with only $60 in front
of him, call his all-in bet, hoping he does not hold AA
or KK.

Key skills for No Limit Texas Hold'em Players

• Have patience
and discipline and select starting hands carefully
• Selection of the right talbes
• Discipline and the ability to wait for good hands and
fold second-best hands
• Ability to read other players
• Courage to bet/raise and play aggressively with draws
or perceived best hands
• Ability to avoid going on tilt

No-limit Texas Hold'em Top Advice

1. Be very selective of the starting hands you play: in
a standard $2-$4 NL game you should have a 20-30% view of
the flop percentage. This means folding AJ in first position,
KT in middle position and QT in late position.

2. Table selection: only play in games where you have an
edge. You want at least a couple of weak players at the
table when you sit down.

3. "Playing the players": make sure to quickly assess the
opposition: who plays inferior hands, who folds at aggression,
who bets with draws, who calls big bets with weak hands
and draws, who can be bluffed, who bluffs, etc.

4. "Pump it or dump it": fold or bet/raise (if the odds
are with you). You should avoid calling unless you have
a good reason (like trapping an opponent).

5. Respect most big bets and raises: this is particularly
true on the turn and river as most players do not bluff.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em Common Mistakes

1. Not releasing a decent hand when beat, thus losing the
whole stack on one hand.

2. Calling with weak holdings when facing a bet.

3. Playing too many starting hands.

4. Not raising pre-flop with premium hands (putting pressure
on limpers holding drawing hands) and then going too far
with them after the flop.